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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe need to contact the authorities immediately,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd get medical assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The principal nodded, already dialing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The boy flinched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo\u2026 please\u2026\u201d he whispered in panic. \u201cHe\u2019ll find out\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anna gently took his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not alone anymore. Do you hear me? No one is going to hurt you again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only a few minutes passed, but they felt endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time the paramedics arrived, the boy was lying on the examination bed. A light blanket covered him, but he still clutched the hat in his hands, as if it were the only protection he had ever known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just before they took him away, he whispered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought\u2026 it was like this for everyone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those words hung in the air like a verdict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anna turned away, trying to hide her tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the most terrifying thing isn\u2019t the wounds themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s when a child begins to believe they\u2019re normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That day, no one spoke loudly at school. Even the children\u2014 usually noisy and carefree\u2014 seemed to sense that something irreversible had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anna stood by the window for a long time, staring out at the sun-scorched yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside, everything looked the same\u2014 the heat, the light, distant laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But inside, nothing was the same anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She knew a line had been crossed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n